‘Aashiqui 2′ singer Ankit Tiwari arrested for ‘rape’

In her complaint, the woman has said the singer raped her several times since July 2013 after promising marriage.

Ankit Tiwari (24), best known for his songs in the recently released movie Aashiqui 2, was booked under rape charges after a 28-year-old advertising professional approached the Versova police station alleging rape.

Bollywood playback singer Ankit Tiwari was arrested Thursday for allegedly raping his girlfriend, while his brother was booked for allegedly making threats to her life, said the police.

Ankit Tiwari (24), best known for his songs in the recently released movie Aashiqui 2, was booked under rape charges after a 28-year-old advertising professional approached the Versova police station alleging rape. In her complaint, the woman has said the singer raped her several times since July 2013 after promising marriage.

“The victim had given a detailed complaint in writing in February. We registered an FIR in March, and after verifying evidence, arrested him on Thursday,” said inspector Machidra Vadkhe of Versova police.

Police said the woman was a divorcee and was introduced to Ankit Tiwari through a common friend, after they first met in Andheri in October 2012. The duo stayed in touch. In July 2013, Tiwari went to the victim’s sister residence after she invited him to a party. During the party, Tiwari asked her to consume alcohol and later raped her, police said. When the victim confronted him, he allegedly went to the victim’s house with a sachet of sindoor and enacted a dramatic ‘wedding’. He said he would ‘legalise’ the wedding soon. The next day, when the victim called him to the local BMC office in Goregaon to register the marriage, Tiwari did not turn up. She has further alleged that in December 2013, Tiwari’s brother Ankur learned of their relationship. She writes that Ankur later met her and threatened her at knife-point, asking her to end the relationship.

Lawyer Neeraj Gupta, representing both the suspects, trashed the allegations, saying they were ‘fabricated’. “The woman was demanding Rs 3 crore from my client, which he declined to pay. Due to this, she filed the FIR,” the lawyer said.

A statement issued by the Tiwari family reads, “Ankit met the girl in 2012. They had a good friendship and they both wanted to take that relationship to the next level. But soon, Ankit came to know that she was a divorcee and had a daughter aged 13 years. He was shocked and deeply hurt by this betrayal. He asked the girl to end the relationship, but she started threatening him.”